Jeff Burum speaks Thursday, Nov. 2, 2017 at “An Evening of Hope,” the 25th annual gala of National Community Renaissance, a non-profit affordable housing development company he co-founded 25 years ago. Burum was named chairman of that group, as well as the non-profit Hope Through Housing Foundation, which was the beneficiary of the gala. (Ryan Beck/Contributed image)

Barely two months after his acquittal in the Colonies bribery case, developer Jeff Burum stood in front of a standing ovation crowd Thursday night at the Fairplex Conference Center stage in Pomona to resume leadership of the affordable housing non-profit he co-founded 25 years ago.

Burum voluntarily stepped down eight years ago as chairman of the board of National Community Renaissance and its sister non-profit charitable organization Hope Through Housing Foundation — during the years the Colonies case coursed through the courts after a 2011 indictment.

He was returned to the chairmanship of both organizations this week and was greeted by a crowd of about 850 people gathered at a gala celebrating the creation of National Community Renaissance, also called National CORE, by Burum and Andrew Wright a quarter-century ago.

“I’m so proud to be back,” he said.

National CORE is a non-profit developer for affordable housing projects. Hope Through Housing Foundation was created in 1998 as a charitable organization to help people in affordable housing with education programs such as on-site preschools, as well as senior health and debt reduction.

The gala was to benefit Hope Through Housing Foundation.

“My life is back,” Burum said in an interview shortly after stepping off the stage at Sheraton Fairplex Conference Center in Pomona, where his appearance included a surprise presentation by Burum and wife Kellie’s two children.

“This was an integral part of my life for the last 25-30 years,” he said of the affordable housing work. It’s who I was. People don’t know that. But I ran this, I loved it … it’s what I did to make me feel good.

“And to have that missing, as part of you, and when the FBI raids it to make it look somehow like what you did here was corrupt — and I have to stay away until it’s over — it’s one of the unjust unfairnesses that happened. But tonight, it’s behind me. It’s behind me. My life is ahead.

“My life is now about how many more people we can help in the next 25 years.”

Jurors acquitted Burum, along with former San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Biane and Mark Kirk, the chief of staff for former Supervisor Gary Ovitt on Aug. 28.

At least 10 of the jurors attended the fundraising dinner Thursday. The group has kept in touch with each other and the former defendants on social media and were invited to the gala.

“When I came into the trial as a juror, I knew nothing about any of the defendants,” said former panelist Daniel Morris, 32, of Redlands. “The only thing I knew that they told me at the trial was that Jeff Burum was a developer. I didn’t know anything (else) that he was involved in.”

Learning after the trial of Burum’s involvement in the non-profit affordable housing organizations “just makes me happier with my decision,” Morris said. “To see what Jeff does for the community, I think he is an awesome guy.”

For example, the local media still downplays the original Colonies action against the county, referring to it in this article as “a lawsuit with developer Colonies Partners LLP over storm drain construction issues.”

Not mentioned is that The Colonies was the plaintiff, that an 18 day trial where the county was represented by over 8 attorney took place before the settlement, or that a Superior Court judge ruled that the county “jeopardized public safety” as their bureaucrats attempted to bully Mr. Burum into constructing public improvements that the county was responsible for constructing.

And the next media story I read that gives District Attorney Mike Ramos the level of criticism he deserves for this staggering waste of taxpayer money will be the first.

Kenneth Holtz on
November 6th, 2017 9:01 am

Actually the 18 day trial was mentioned in a op-ed by Judge Warner himself just a month or so ago. If one wasn’t paying attention they missed it.

Credit must be given to the Sun for allowing people like Judge Warner, Erwin and Burum to speak up about this case in the manner they are and print it.

Is the Sun going to admit they were the local CNN for DA Mike Ramos and the other elected hacks printing their propaganda? Very doubtful.

We see that with most of the MSM involving President Trump. But the truth and facts eventually comes out and turns on the ones who started the BS and the ones who printed it.

The Sun even printed former Supervisor Neil Derrys opinion on the Colonies case. The same Sun that hammered away at him during his debacle.

The Sun knew what was coming down the pipe if not in the Colonies case at the time it was gaining steam, they knew what was likely going on in ALL the other scandals that were be posted up on this very blog.

The Colonies case is the icing on the cake.

Don’t expect Frank Pine or anyone else to denounce the corrupt ones he played with anytime soon.

Let’s see what comes out when the District Attorney’s race gains steam.

That should be entertaining as hell with lots of BULLSHIT being served up.

Anonymous on
November 6th, 2017 8:41 pm

#3, I don’t know if I can handle waiting to see what the Sun prints in the future, I think I have read enough “BULLSHIT” by this paper and it’s reporters. Honestly it sickens me. Imagine what might have happened had people really known what was going on? What if this paper and it’s reporters behaved as press and did their job and weren’t a mouthpiece for power in the county? At least the Colonies case ended with justice served. Watching them try to redeem themselves is disgusting. To the Sun and it’s reporters, you can paint this pig of a paper now that it suits you, but anyone paying attention knows it’s still an ugly, smelly pig. You are not journalists, you are hacks. Collect your paycheck by day and sleep with that knowledge at night.